First Stimulus Project in U.S. is MO Bridge

The first infrastructure project to move forward under the new federal economic stimulus package was a replacement bridge in Miller County near Tuscumbia, MO. Ot was approved for construction as a top priority for the State of Missouri at a cost of $8.5 million, which will be funded by the stimulus plan.

"Today, the Show Me State again showed the nation we are leaders in transportation by having the first economic recovery act project in the country under construction," said Missouri Department of Transportation director Pete Rahn. "We promised we would be ready to go to make the best use of every dollar we receive through the economic recovery act to create jobs and make our highways safer. We delivered on that promise and then some."

The new 1,000-ft long, 28-ft-wide steel bridge will replace the existing 75-year-old Osage River Bridge, which is the same length and just 20 ft wide. The bridge crosses a Missouri River tributary near the middle of the state, where the average daily traffic is more than 1,000 cars per day. However, it has been off-limits to large trucks since 2007 because of its poor structural condition.

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